Actions

Royal Oak holding meeting on redevelopment plan

Residents in Royal Oak are gathering to hear more about a new plan that would change the landscape of downtown.

City leaders are looking into the possibility of tearing down city hall and the police department for an all-new look.

The town hall style meeting is inside the Churchill Education Center.

City leaders say this development proposal was brought to them months ago and they really like what it could do for the downtown area - but now it's up to residents to weigh in.

The plan is to demolish the current city hall and police station, build a new office building, with city hall in it, a new police station, a new parking deck and create a new park in the space where city hall used to be.

The $100 million project wouldn't raise taxes, because it would use money from bonds shifted to a new use.

"There's a lot of uncertainty out there, it's a big commitment from the city, it's going to change dramatically what we are doing down here, so it's just natural we need to ask the residents because in the end, this is theirs," says Mayor Jim Ellison.

The mayor hopes the proposal is approved by the end of the year, but he says they are taking their time